International Rights

CCD Participates in UN Meetings Again this year, CCD Vice-Chairperson Mary Ennis and CCD International Committee Chairperson Steve Estey attended the meetings of the United Nations’ Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.

The meetings took place at the United Nations in New York from June 16 to 27, 2003. The Government of Canada had invited Mary Ennis to be a member of the official Canadian government delegation, which participated in the meetings at the UN. Steve Estey worked with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are spearheading the campaign for a convention.

Beatrice Maille, Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, made the following statement regarding a convention: “Canada is committed to participating in the development of a convention that significantly improves the situation of persons with disabilities.

“This convention must be rooted in reality in order to create obligations that can be implemented. It must be drafted so as to attract the broadest possible base of support amongst member states. It must therefore be consistent with existing international human rights treaties. It must ensure the equal and unequivocal promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities. It must confirm the place of disabled persons in the international human rights system. The awareness-raising function of a new legal instrument is also an important element of this process, highlighting rights and furthering understanding.”

The Ad Hoc Committee succeeded in making several decisions:

1. To establish a Working Group to prepare a draft text as a basis for negotiation by member states and observers at the Ad Hoc Committee of the draft convention. The draft text is to take into account contributions submitted to the Ad Hoc Committee by States, observers, regional meetings, relevant United Nations bodies, regional commissions and intergovernmental organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations, national disability organizations and human rights institutions and independent experts. The Working Group is to prepare a text that also reflects any alternative approaches.

2. The Working Group is to be made up of 27 governmental representatives. The Working Group is to include 12 representatives of non-governmental organizations, particularly organizations of persons with disabilities. These representatives will be selected by those organizations and will take into account diversity of disabilities and of NGOs and ensure adequate representation of NGOs from developing countries and from all regions. It will also include representation from national human rights institutions.

3. The Voluntary Fund may be used to support the participation of non-governmental organizations and experts from developing countries, in particular the least developed countries. Selections shall be made within 45 days after the adoption of this decision.

4. The Working Group is to meet at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for one session of 10 working days early in 2004, and will present the outcome of its work on a draft text to the Ad Hoc Committee at its third session.

5. The Working Group’s work on a draft text will be available in all UN languages, as well as alternate media.

6. The coordinator of the Working Group will be selected from the governmental representatives.

7. The Secretary-General should provide the Working Group with all relevant documentation, including the report of the Second Session of the Ad Hoc Committee, as soon as possible and to the fullest extent possible in formats accessible to persons with disabilities.

8. The Working Group’s mandate concludes with its presentation of a draft text to the Ad Hoc Committee. The above-mentioned in no way creates a precedent for other ad hoc committees of the General Assembly.

“We need to move on advocating with the provinces for their support of the convention,” commented Mary Ennis upon her return to Canada from the United Nations. She added, “In Newfoundland, the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities (COD) has advised the lead minister on disability that we are supporting the initiative, and that we will be seeking a meeting for an in-depth discussion on the convention.”

For more information, contact the Council of Canadians with Disabilities at 926-294 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3C 0B9; phone: (204) 947-0303; fax: (204) 942-4625; or e-mail: ccd@ccdonline.ca.